The Brookhaven leader., 1887-05-26
Nominating Conventions.


county, it will surely be conceded
that nominating conventions, in time
Of contests between two or more
organized parties, are the essential
and | may add the only means OF
party success. Whatever may be
sail regarding the wrongs and evils
committed through the agency OF
nominating conventions, n little
rejection will show that all the
wrongs result not from the rightiul,
hut from the perverted use oi the
power; and that the remedy for such
| Ills is not the abolition Of this valua-
/ ole and time honored custom but its
restoration To it's original purity and
sanctity.
Whether or not the existence Of
two or more parties is beneficial TO
the interests OF our government
need not here he discussed, for the
fact remains that parties do exist
and oppose each other at almost
every election. Tie further fact
follows that party organization is
essential To party success. Prln'
ciples though just and men though
! ever so able, cannot succeed with
out the support of an equipped and
organized party, and no OrganlZa-
ton is efficient unless harmony
prevails among its members who as
one man follow the footsteps Of their
chosen leader. BnL this unanimity
and harmony are not the normal
condition of things. If the people
naturally agreed upon all questions
and were unanimous in their choice
for their officers, there would be no
need for elections, parties or con
vcntions. 1t is unreasonable To
expect that all democrats should at
first favor the same candidate, or
that all men, although members of
the same party, should subscribe t"
all the doctrines of that party,
Honest differences are evidence of
an Independence and vigilance
which constitute the surest bulwark
OF our liberty. Repeated unanimity
produces indifference, indifference
causes corruption and corruption
breeds ruin.
Family wrangling, l concede, is
not q pleasant sight and party dis
putcs are both distasteful and dan
gerous, but rs long as democrats( or
repubIcans) will differ upon politi,
cal questions, and as long as there
will lise more candidates than the
party can CRAFTY, these things
however unpleasant may be eX-
pected. AS long as the people
have q voice in the affairs OF their
country, disputes and. disagrcements
will occur; they cannot be avoided
and the only thing lett 10 do is to
cndeavor to harmonic these differ.
ences, silent these disputes and
make individual ambition subser-
Went to party success.
Nominating conventions have
ever since the Inauguration of our
political institutions, been regarded
and adopted rs the only means by
which differences within the party
ranks can be adjusted. In fact |
am not far from right when | state
that such differences gave rise 10
! the use of conventions. Their
object is not TO benefit any indi
! vidual, but the entire party; then
j purpose is TO determine the will Of
the majority of the party To which
the minority must yield as suhmis-
oivcly as the minority always yields
| to the decision Of the ballot box. The
result is That the strife among the
members is checked, the differences
reconciied; and on The election day
the party, instead OF heing broken
in many struggling factions, stands
strongly united in one common
cause.
This has been general practice
among all parties as soon as they
rise to the dignity of that name
and, although the method like all
obhCl uuludH IuNtutlpuo, Iuuy nav Z
its defects, none better has as yet
been discovered by which the union
of a party can be preserved. One
thing is certain, no party can main
tain its organization while its mem
bers stand arrayed against each
other in hostile conflict. A house
divided against itself cannot stand.
The so called loose race has always
been followed by a remarkable lot
of loose politics, making it often diff
ficult to determine whether the re
suit is a victory or defeat. The diff
ferences, instead OF being adjusted.
are made only more prominent; The
disagreements, instead af being rec
onciled, widen the breach, through
which any one can pass, who'll pro-
vide himself with the "u"n,s skin"
Party lines if not altogether invis-
ible, are held so, that the nimble
can leave the camp, support the
other side, return when the conflict
is over and never forego the former
rights.
The above have been some of the
results of the negative weakening
policy in Use in this country
results, which no consistent demo